1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to random selection systems and particularly to such systems employing data processing hardware for games such as bingo.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
There have been various attempts at adapting data processing hardware to random selection games such as bingo. U.S. Pat. No. 3,653,026 to Frederick Hurley in exemplary. A problem with most of these is they become less and less random as more of the possible selections become picked. This happens because the simplest organization calls for skipping to the first unpicked number when the random selection falls on a previously picked number. The result is that numbers immediately following previously picked numbers become preferentially weighted. The problem presented is how to remove the effect of previously picked numbers on the randomness of the system.
Still another difficulty exists. For games such as bingo, a display is desired showing all numbers that have been previously selected. If the display is activated from the same memory in which the new selections are being added, an operator could affect the randomness of his selections by relating his instance of selection to the visible sequence point in the cyclical activation of the display.
As a result of these problems, cumbersome mechanical apparatus is still prevalent in most bingo game usage.